Wolf Pack Finish Canadian Swing with 3-2 Setback in Toronto
Oct 20, 2018(Photo by Thomas Skrlj)
The Wolf Pack wrapped up a three-game Canadian road trip Saturday at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, and were unable to overcome an early deficit in a 3-2 loss to the defending AHL-champion Toronto Marlies.
Trevor Moore scored twice inside the first eight minutes of the game for the Marlies, and Carl Grundstrom’s second-period power-play goal was the game-winner. Cole Schneider scored a power-play tally for the Wolf Pack, and Rob O’Gara had a late shorthanded marker.
“I thought they did a real good job putting us on our heels, and we had to spend too much time defending,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said. “Obviously when you come into this building, against the defending Calder Cup champions, to go down 1-0, and shooting ourselves in the foot for the first two goals, doesn’t give you a recipe for success.”
Moore gave Toronto the jump only 55 seconds in, on the game’s first shot. Grundstrom’s feed went off of Josh Jooris and came to Moore between the hash marks, and he turned to his forehand and snapped a shot into the top corner on the stick side of Wolf Pack goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (32 saves).
Moore struck again at 7:31, after Mason Marchment knocked the puck away from Wolf Pack defenseman Libor Hajek at the center red line and moved into the Hartford zone on the right side. Marchment then fed over on the opposite wing to Moore, whose high shot beat a helpless Georgiev.
The Wolf Pack got an opportunity to get back into the game when the Marlies’ Griffen Molino was called for tripping at 17:59, and Calle Rosen for cross-checking 54 seconds later.
On the ensuing 5-on-3, Schneider got the Wolf Pack on the board with 45.9 seconds left in the period, snapping the puck up under the crossbar behind Marlie netminder Jeff Glass (22 saves), after he had stopped a Peter Holland bid.
The only goal of the second period came ten seconds into Toronto’s first power play of the game, after Hajek was called for tripping at 6:04. Chris Mueller worked the puck from the top of the right circle to Grundstrom at the side of the goal mouth, and he tried to pass to the front of the goal. O’Gara, attempting to block the feed, had it go off of his skate and into the net.
That goal turned out to be the difference, as O’Gara brought the Wolf Pack back to within one with 2:45 left in the third, scoring his first Wolf Pack goal shorthanded. With Vince Pedrie in the penalty box for tripping, Lias Andersson stickhandled into the Toronto zone on right wing, and ended up dropping the puck off for O’Gara, who was trailing the play. O’Gara made a move past the Marlies’ Jeremy Bracco, and then beat Glass with a high blast to the stick side.
The Wolf Pack were unable to use that momentum to get the equalizer, though, and fell to 4-3-1-0 on the season.
The Wolf Pack are back on home ice at the XL Center this Wednesday, October 24, for a 7:00 PM contest vs. the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. That is another opportunity to take advantage of the Wolf Pack’s “Click It or Ticket Family Value Pack”, which includes two tickets, two sodas and two hot dogs, all for just $40.
Tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $13 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.
Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 AHL season can be found on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com. To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.
Hartford Wolf Pack 2 at Toronto Marlies 3
Saturday, October 20, 2018 - Coca-Cola Coliseum
Hartford 1 0 1 - 2
Toronto 2 1 0 - 3
1st Period-1, Toronto, Moore 5 (Grundstrom, Jooris), 0:55. 2, Toronto, Moore 6 (Marchment), 7:31. 3, Hartford, Schneider 3 (Holland, Bigras), 19:14 (PP). Penalties-Molino Tor (tripping), 17:59; Rosen Tor (cross-checking), 18:53.
2nd Period-4, Toronto, Grundstrom 3 (Mueller, Liljegren), 6:14 (PP). Penalties-Hajek Hfd (tripping), 6:04; Crawley Hfd (roughing, roughing), 10:01; Jardine Tor (roughing), 10:01.
3rd Period-5, Hartford, O'Gara 1 (Andersson), 17:15 (SH). Penalties-Bigras Hfd (hooking), 6:27; Cracknell Tor (slashing), 11:34; Pedrie Hfd (tripping), 16:34.
Shots on Goal-Hartford 11-7-6-24. Toronto 14-13-8-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 / 3; Toronto 1 / 4.
Goalies-Hartford, Georgiev 1-1-0 (35 shots-32 saves). Toronto, Glass 1-2-1 (24 shots-22 saves).
A-4,233
Referees-Jesse Gour (25), Corey Syvret (42).
Linesmen-Tyson Baker (88), Kyle Flemington (3).